Man gets 16 months in prison for friend's shooting death

Deputies jailed Joshua Montez, 42, of Junction City on one count of Manslaughter 2, the Lane County Sheriff's Office said. (Lane County Jail mugshot)

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — A Junction City man charged with killing a friend while camping in western Oregon in July was sentenced to 16 months in prison.

The Register-Guard reports 43-year-old Joshua Montez was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to criminally negligent homicide, a lesser offense reached under an agreement with prosecutors.

Montez was initially indicted on a murder charge in the shooting death of 48-year-old Steven "Troy" Moody.

The two men with their families were camping at a Willamette National Forest campground. Montez told authorities he heard noises that sounded like gunshots and fired at someone walking across the campground near Blue River Lake.

Montez is expected to be released from prison before the end of this year, having served seven months in the Lane County Jail since his arrest last year.